When news from the Haiti earthquake was finally delivered to church members in Longmeadow, some of their worst fears had been realized.

The school they had worked with for so long was flattened. Even more horrifying, at least 30 nursing students were killed in the collapse, said Mark H. Pohlman, of Longmeadow, a member of the First Church of Christ.

For more than a dozen years the church has been assisting the CONASPEH School. The Port-au-Prince school teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade and also has nursing seminary programs, he said.

A doctor and her husband, who have been working as missionaries at the school, sent an e-mail giving members a little good news: They and their 15-month-old son escaped injury by jumping from a second-floor window, the couple who ran the school are safe, and two translators are unhurt. Most of the elementary and secondary students were not in the building at the time of the earthquake.

View full sizeThis is a picture of the CONASPEH school as seen in November. The building was started in 1997 with a $50,000 gift from the First Church of Christ in Longmeadow. Additional floors were added over the years. The building served as a K-12 school with over 500 students, a seminary, and nursing school plus a medical clinic, and office for micro-loans. It was flattened in Tuesday's earthquake.

This is a picture of the CONASPEH school in Nov 2009. The building was started in 1997 with a $50,000 gift from First Church of Christ in Longmeadow. Additional floors were added over the years. The building served as a K-12 school with over 500 students, a seminary, and nursing school plus a medical clinic, and office for micro-loans.

“Fortunately it was 5 (p.m.) and most of the kids were out,” Pohlman said.

But there was more bad news.

The e-mail, sent by Dr. Kim Bentrott, of Iowa, described the terrible scene following the earthquake, Pohlman said.

“The country is in ruin and chaos. We lost so many friends. CONASPEH was flattened with all my nursing students inside. ... I pulled some of their bodies out of the rubble yesterday. Yesterday morning there were still voices inside, but we all were having a hard time reaching them. The one person we pulled out alive yesterday bled to death on the way to the hospital which is more like a place where people go to die because they can’t even begin to treat the people lining up for help,” she wrote.

Especially devastated by the death of the nursing students, the First Church of Christ will hold a special service at 7 p.m. Sunday at 763 Longmeadow St. Members will also collect donations for the relief effort, he said.

Across Western Massachusetts, relief agencies have been shocked with the amount of donations pledged to Haiti.

“My phone has not stopped ringing from people who want to make donations and people who want to organize fund-raisers,” said Paige N. Thayer, deputy director of the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross.

The new Springfield Armor basketball team will do a promotion for the Red Cross at its next game, collection canisters are being put up at dozens of businesses and school groups want to help, she said.

The CRUDEM Foundation, a Ludlow organization which helps supports Sacred Heart Hospital about 90 miles from Port-au-Prince, has seen an outpouring of donations since the earthquake.

“People have been so generous. In the last 24 hours we have brought in $30,000 and donations are coming in steadily,” said Rev. Joni M. Paterson, of Wilbraham, the director of the organization.

Donations will be needed. The hospital was far enough from the epicenter of the earthquake to survive with no serious damage, but now medical staff are expecting an influx of the injured to be moved there because hospitals in Port-au-Prince are overwhelmed and damaged, she said.

But roads, which were already primitive, have been destroyed, making it impossible to get patients to the hospital. Medical personnel there are hoping some will soon be flown by helicopter, Paterson said.

Two volunteers from Wilbraham, Tim Traynor, a retired industrial contractor, and John Gilbertie, a retired chemist, were at the hospital when the earthquake hit. They are developing temporary structures for extra patients, she said.

The hospital operates through donations and small fees patients pay. Paterson said it costs about $2,500 a day to keep it going.

“When you have an influx and numbers are going to double, triple or quadruple it will be more expensive,” she said. “We will be forced to buy more of our supplies in Haiti or the Dominican Republic and that will be more expensive and the cost of food will go higher.”

Members of the 439th Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base are ready to bring supplies to Haiti, if given orders. Because its pilots operate the largest jets in the country, members often provide humanitarian assistance, said Tech. Sgt. Andrew S. Biscoe, spokesman.

Wednesday, the Catholic Diocese of Springfield said it will also be collecting money for the relief effort. By Thursday checks started coming to the headquarters, but the majority of donations are expected to be collected during weekend services, said Mark E. Dupont, spokesman.

The diocese is also holding a special Mass for members of the Haitian community at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the Holy Spirit Chapel of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield. Rev. James A. Aherne, who speaks Creole and runs a monthly Mass for Haitians, will officiate.

Aherne has spoken to many of his regular parish members and said most have been unable to contact family members in Haiti.

Many others, such as a collaboration of different groups from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, American International College in Springfield, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Springfield, are working to raise money.

This is a picture of a typical classroom in the school in Haiti that the First Church of Christ in Longeadow helps to support. At the time this picture was taken last fall, the room was filled with seminary students.

Western Mass. resources for helping Haiti

Because of the difficulty of getting any supplies to Haiti, officials at many different organizations have said the best way to help is by donating money that can be used to buy supplies in nearby countries, reducing shipping costs and time. The following list identifies several local and national organizations that are facilitating donations.

Catholic Diocese: Checks made payable to the Diocese of Springfield with notation of “Haiti relief” can be mailed to the diocesan offices, P.O. Box 1730, Springfield MA, 01102-1730, or made at any Catholic parish.

First Churches of Northampton: Church members have regularly traveled to Haiti via the First Churches' relationship with the National Spiritual Council of Haitian Churches (CONESPAH). A post on the church's site states: "We are, of course, very concerned about the disaster that is unfolding there and will be responding as a church." The post advises members to donate to the relief effort through the United Church of Christ or the American Baptist Church.

Americares: Donations can be made online at www.americares.org; by phone, 1-800-486-4357; by mail, 88 Hamilton Ave., Stanford, Conn., 06902

American Red Cross: Donations can be made online at www.redcross.org; by phone at 1-800-733-2767 or by mail at Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C., 20013. Checks can be marked “Haiti relief.” Donations can also be made by texting “HAITI” to “90999” and a donation of $10 will be given.

UMAid for Haiti: At UMass, an effort to harness the strength of the campus community is taking shape with the launch of UMAid for Haiti and its associated Facebook group. From the site: "Beginning when second semester classes officially start, look around campus for clearly marked donation boxes and cans. These will be to collect the smallest of donations- pocket change, etc. If you have a few quarters- drop them in. If you have a few pennies- drop them in. They will be in the DCs, and at the security desks in certain dorms."

Upcoming church services

St. Michael's Cathederal, Springfield: Rev. James A. Aherne will hold a special mass for Haitians in the Creole language at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, in the Holy Spirit Chapel at St. Michael's Cathederal, on State Street in Springfield.

The First Church of Christ, Longmeadow: A special service at 7 p.m. on Sunday will include a special offering taken for the people of Haiti to assist with the relief effort. The church is located at 763 Longmeadow St.

First Churches of Northampton: On Sunday, David Entin will deliver a sermon addressing Haiti. The service will include a special collection to assist with the disaster relief. David Entin and Pauline Bassett will discuss their recent trip to Haiti following the service.